Falcons outlast Trojans, eye Fort Mill
A 10-1 surge in the fourth quarter powered the Nation Ford Falcons boys’ basketball team to a 69-65 win over Northwestern that kept them perfect in Region III play.
The Falcons are now 4-0 in the region, setting up a conference clash with rivals Fort Mill, which is also undefeated in the region.
The match-up with Northwestern was a tight one as the two teams traded the lead several times during the contest.
Sophomore Ben Tuipulotu scored seven points in the first quarter as he led the Falcons out of the gate to build a 16-13 lead after the first quarter.
Turnovers in the second quarter by Nation Ford allowed Northwestern to get back into the game. Also, Northwestern had a strong presence on the inside post to keep them battling with the Falcons.
Senior Hank Tuipulotu added six points in the quarter.
Turning point
Senior Cameron Holmes hit a 3-pointer near the start of the fourth quarter to put Nation Ford ahead 53-52 while keying the 10-1 run by the Falcons.
Nation Ford shot 38 percent from the field in the fourth quarter and was led by Holmes’ seven points. Hank Tuipulotu also added six points in the quarter and was a big, slashing presence in the lane for the Falcons throughout the quarter.
The Falcons outscored Northwestern 21-13 in the fourth quarter and hit seven of nine free throws.
Critical
Nation Ford was able to hang with Northwestern even though the Falcons came out for the third quarter cold, starting 0-6 from the field in the period. Northwestern started the third quarter on a 5-0 run, but Holmes scored six points to lead Nation Ford and keep the Falcons within striking distance of the Trojans as they trailed by just four at the end of the quarter.
Star contributions
Holmes led Nation Ford with 17 points and Hank Tuipulotu added 12 points in the win for the Falcons. Ben Tuipulotu scored 11 points for Nation Ford as well.
Overheard
Nation Ford head coach Michael Tew said his team was persistent in its battle with Northwestern.
“We rebounded the ball well,” he said. “We kept at it. They kept fighting.”
Mac Banks:mbanks@comporium.net, @MacBanksFM
Box score
Nation Ford 69, Northwestern 65
Northwestern | 13 | 24 | 15 | 13 | - | 65 |
Nation Ford | 16 | 18 | 14 | 21 | - | 69 |
Northwestern-Myliek Durham 20, Gianni Caberra-Gonzalez 11, Cory Hardin-McCory 10, Zay Martin 9, Jaquarius Clowney 9, Desmond Walls 4, Ali Shockley 2.
Nation Ford-Cameron Holmes 17, Hank Tuipulotu 12, Ben Tuipulotu 11, Zeb Graham 9, Will Lawhon 8, Grayson Loftis 5, Andrew Barnes 5, Terry Galloway 2.
3-pointers-Northwestern 5 (Durham 4, Martin), Nation Ford 5 (Graham 2, Holmes, Barnes, B. Tuipulotu).
Team fouls-Northwestern 17, Nation Ford 14.
Records: Nation Ford 6-8, 4-0 Region III-4A
On deck
The Falcons host South Pointe this week and welcome rivals Fort Mill on Friday night starting at 6:30 p.m.
This story was originally published January 15, 2016 at 4:40 PM with the headline "Falcons outlast Trojans, eye Fort Mill."